Thinking about what could have been......

[Dvdvideo]

Had the raps management allowed the team to win a few more games. The teams in the play in tournament against our team would lose against a healthy raptors roster.

Then we move on to raps vs Philly. If healthy, on conceivable that the roster as is takes them to 6 or 7 games, especially with embid's traditionally uneven health history. A possible victory, since the sixers are seriously overrated.

Then round 2 - facing Atlanta or New York. Of course a healthy raptors team could beat either of these teams.

Then eastern finals - facing yet another overated bucks team assuming they can even sqeak by Miami. This is another team we would have had a chance against. Or a nets team with potential injuries by this point ......

Just kind of sad to think we threw in the towel for a draft pick, it better be good.

[Puffer]

Had the raps management allowed the team to win a few more games. The teams in the play in tournament against our team would lose against a healthy raptors roster.

Then we move on to raps vs Philly. If healthy, on conceivable that the roster as is takes them to 6 or 7 games, especially with embid's traditionally uneven health history. A possible victory, since the sixers are seriously overrated.

Then round 2 - facing Atlanta or New York. Of course a healthy raptors team could beat either of these teams.

Then eastern finals - facing yet another overated bucks team assuming they can even sqeak by Miami. This is another team we would have had a chance against. Or a nets team with potential injuries by this point ......

Just kind of sad to think we threw in the towel for a draft pick, it better be good.

It is possible that it could have turned out as you suggest. It is definite that the Raptors will be picking in the lottery. When the chance came about that the Raptors could get a pick in the bottom third of the draft, and the Raps FO had evaluated the talent available, They went for the sure thing, as opposed to the chance they might make it to the finals, and the chances of injury, COVID, the chance of players not performing at a high level.

Personally I am not upset with how it turned out. Would you say that the current team is stronger than the pre-championship teams? None of them made it to the finals.

[DanH]

Had the raps management allowed the team to win a few more games. The teams in the play in tournament against our team would lose against a healthy raptors roster.

Then we move on to raps vs Philly. If healthy, on conceivable that the roster as is takes them to 6 or 7 games, especially with embid's traditionally uneven health history. A possible victory, since the sixers are seriously overrated.

Then round 2 - facing Atlanta or New York. Of course a healthy raptors team could beat either of these teams.

Then eastern finals - facing yet another overated bucks team assuming they can even sqeak by Miami. This is another team we would have had a chance against. Or a nets team with potential injuries by this point ......

Just kind of sad to think we threw in the towel for a draft pick, it better be good.

I think they threw in the towel for the benefit of the players already on the team, with the improved pick a very nice bonus. Tampa, COVID, etc, has been a mental (and physical) drag on the whole team and I think the whole franchise just wants to put this season behind them.

I maintain that they absolutely could have made some noise in the playoffs at their best, but it's quite possible their best was just not going to happen in this nightmare season.

[S.R.]

One of the things that very well could have been would be Pascal Siakam getting booed at the free throw line in a 'home' playoff game in front of 500 fans.

Get the hell out of Florida.

[Kagemusha]

Could have secured the #1 draft position if management had the guys and foresight.

[Jclaw]

I firmly believe we could have beaten Philly in a 7 game series. I also firmly believe we could have lost to Boston in a one game play in

[A.I]

Would have been cool to see the Raptors in the Playoffs, but Tampa doesn't deserve Playoff games.

[DanH]

Could have secured the #1 draft position if management had the guys and foresight.

And had... less than twice the odds to actually get the top draft pick that they do now.

And also, hell no they could not have. Unless you burn the entire team to the ground, not even the slightest chance we could race to the bottom better than the professional tankers out there. And burning the team to the ground would have been a terrible move.

[SkywalkerAC]

Hard pass.

[KeonClark]

Would have been cool to see the Raptors in the Playoffs, but Tampa doesn't deserve Playoff games.

Will be cooler to see us bringing in a high profile college kid for the first time in years. We weren't getting out of the first round.

[KeonClark]

#TampaTank

[slaw]

The idea this team would have somehow flipped a switch if only management had permitted them to do so is fantasy. Sometimes you just don't have it. Not like the Raps are the only team in this boat. Celtics fell apart this season, too, as did the Pacers and all three teams were logical top-6 EC teams at the beginning of the season.

[G__Deane]

There's zero indication even when the team was relatively healthy that it was an ECF or Final's likelihood. Just assuming they'd somehow win the play-in and go on to beat Philly, Atlanta/Knicks and then the Bucks is pure fantasy.

Any of those teams could conceivably beat the Raps this year and the available evidence suggests one of them would have tripped us up; imagine Randle running wild on us or Trey at the line 15X a game with bogus calls...

It just wasn't our year and getting bounced in the first or second round with the resultant middling pick would have been horrible.

[The Claw Reborn]

What could have been if Ujiri moved on to his failed pipe dream of getting Giannis or Gobert. He was that individual who fell in a catatonic state after receiving a very devastating news that he did not expect.

What could have been if Siakam have the mental strength to overcome any kind of adversity this season especially after a very embarrassing playoff performance the previous season. His Mental midget side ONCE AGAIN prevailed over his talent side. I also realized that he may just have small hands to palm the ball, why he would prefer the lay up using his underhand than fucking DUNK THE BALL. He also has poor understanding of geometry and angles, why he can not accurately utilize the backboard as his ally when he lays up the ball to the rim.

What could have been if Van Vleet is able to understand his height and reach limitations that he cannot just easily drive the ball below the hoop and expect no trees to block his shots most of the time. His efficiency has plummeted with increased in usage. We live and die of his heaves. This season we are so painfully “deceased” by those Hail Marys.

What could have been if Nick Nurse improved his defensive schemes especially against corner threes. Scrubs had career nights against St. Nick.

So yes, this pick better be right. All the excuses this season are just noise from those glass half full peeps of RR.

[G__Deane]

We expect a good pick to come out of this draft (#trust in Toltz) the same as a good picl will help out a dozen other teams.
But to expect that ~7 pick to make anything more than a marginal overall impact in year one is silly.

I guess let's see where the ping pong balls bounce....